Denial:101
by Dragonflysoul
Summary: A series of missing scenes and tags to SEASON NINE's episodes. SO SPOILER WARNING FOR THIS ENTIRE SEASON! Based around Jack and Daniel's friendship and lets not forget Carter and Teal'c
1. Chapter 1

**SPOILER WARNING FOR ENTIRE NINTH SEASON!**

**Avalon Missing Scene**

Pulling on his flight jacket, Daniel didn't have to turn around to know who just slipped through the infirmary curtain.

"How'd you find out?" he asked softly, fingering the bracelet that was condemning him to hell for the next God only knew how many hours.

"Oh…I have my ways."

Smiling, Daniel turned around and saw Jack, hands in his pockets, rocking back on his heels.

The archaeologist's smile, however, turned into a cringe when, "Come on, sweetcheeks! Let's go find the treasure so we can get on with the honeymoon!" was hollered from the other side of the curtain.

Shoulder slumping, Daniel whined, "Jaaa'aaa'aack" as he held out his arm. "cut it off."

"Oooh, I don't know, Daniel," His old friend spoke casually as he walked passed the extended hand, hopped up on the cot and crossed his arms. "I think you two will be happy together."

Daniel petulantly dropped the condemned appendage and glared at his former C.O.

Jack raised his eyebrow defensively. "What! Help you!" he cried, then looked down to pick at the blanket he sat on and mumbled. "I wasn't even invited to the wedding."

"That _is_ true!" was bellowed helpfully from behind them.

Daniel ran his fingers through his hair with both hands…then eyes huge, started pulling. "Aargh!"

Jack instantly jumped up and grabbed them, pulling them back down. After making sure they were going to stay at his friend's side, he let go and straightened Daniel's collar.

"I don't know what's worse," he started hoarsely, as he leaned back on the cot, one arm draped over his knee. "not being with you guys and having to wait here. Or not being with you guys and _not_ being able to wait here."

Jack's moment of candor left Daniel floundering. "Jack…"

Standing up and cutting his friend off, Jack studied his feet. "Be careful out there, Daniel. Mitchell is good, but…" for a moment, the old soldier's words caught and Daniel felt his heart plummet. He opened his mouth to say something, but Jack was already looking up at him with a grin plastered to his face. Nodding, Jack placed a hand over Daniel's shoulder and squeezed, taking a deep breath. Daniel thought he was about to open himself up even more, but he was wrong.

"First born, Danny, better be named after me." he forced out with a sigh.

Daniel let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding and ducked his head, shaking it. "I'll name my prosthetic limb after you, Jack, before I have anything to do with that vile woman."

Jack cocked his head and dropped his hand, studying the younger man. "Kinky."

Giggling, Daniel wiped a hand down his face and looked back up at his old friend, who was still observing him.

"I'll see you when you get back?" Jack tried so hard to force his question into a statement.

"Yeah." Daniel answered softly, face turning serious. "You'll see me when I get back."

Jack narrowed his eyes, searching for truth. When he found some, or replaced it with hope, he nodded and vanished to the _other side_ of the curtain… but to Daniel, the other side might as well of been light years away.

The end…for now.


	2. Don't Know Yet:Part Two

**Avalon: Part Two Missing Scene**

Jack sat thinking, leaning forward with elbows on knees, twirling his hat in his hands; he sat and waited for his ride to land.

He didn't know what to do.

Leaving the SGC wasn't supposed to be so hard. The fight was supposed to be over…for them at least. Everyone moving on is the only thing that gave Jack the strength to let go. And now…

_Jes_

Jack scrubbed a hand through his hair.

Now with a flick of a bracelet, his kids were running off into danger again. …just as he was walking…away.

It wasn't supposed to be this way.

He had it all figured out. Sam would be safe, ogling over her doohickeys…and thankfully she at least still was. Teal'c would be busy building his free army-living a dream he so long fought for. And Daniel, Daniel was supposed to be so far away…shit, who was he kidding?

He'd worry anyway and it would slowly drive him insane. He was hoping that ignorance really would be bliss. No such luck. He couldn't ignore his "DIT-AR" (Daniel in Trouble-Again Radar), even if he tried.

And now his kids were off getting into God only knew what and he couldn't even order people around in vain, just to exercise a little bit of control.

"Sir? Your flight is ready." The airman informed him, becoming concerned when the senior officer didn't get up.

"Sir?"

Jack sat thinking, leaning forward with elbows on knees, twirling his hat in his hands.


	3. Don't Know Yet: Part Three

**Origin Tag**

Jack forced himself to _leisurely_ stroll down the hall, though his feet fought to walk to the beat of his heart, which happened to be thumping a mile a minute. He had to see him. He had to see for his own eyes that he was still in one solid, _corporeal_ piece.

Coma, burning to death and finding a new big and nasty to wreck havoc on the universe, all in one day. Yup, that was his Daniel.

He leaves him in someone else's care for _one_ mission and this is what happens. See, this is why SG-11 lost their privileges looong ago. Not that he didn't trust Mitchell, he just…hell, he didn't know. He didn't know _anything_ anymore. For cry'in out loud, he should be on a plane right now heading away from this place, heading away from nearly a decade of memories.

_If these walls could talk._ he thought idly, his pace never faltering.

Though restored with a slab of this and that and a couple layers of paint, Jack could still point out where the scars should lay from their stand against the Replicators and Retu…and various other…situations.

He could also point out the _exact_ spot where Daniel puked all over _his_ shoes. Yup, brand new too. Jack could tell he was sick, even though his friend appeared to still be in denial stage about it and was dragging him home to get some _real_ rest when up came more food than he thought possible…at least for Daniel. The boy never did eat much.

Finally rounding the last bend, it took all Jack had to slow his pace, because he found himself walking _a lot_ faster than he intended, and silently ease into the room. His heart instantly calmed, however, at seeing one, solid corporeal known as Daniel Jackson, typing away at his computer.

He couldn't help but smile when his friend first greeted him as if it were completely normal that he'd be there. As if he expected him to come sauntering in after a difficult mission to pull him away for a bit.

Who would pull him away now?

…and it wasn't really a lie that he was in the neighborhood.

"Sorry you missed Daedalus."

"No you're not."

_Got me there._ "You're right. I'm not."

Jack was doing pretty well. He had refrained from pulling his friend into a bear hug…though it had been close _and_ he even stopped himself from rubbing his head. It wasn't even something he had done in a while, but suddenly he found the urge nearly overwhelming.

Still, he was beginning to think he'd make it through without any embarrassing displays of affection _until_, that is, Daniel confided in him that he was scared.

_Aw, damnit._

Daniel doesn't do scared. Jack had learned that quickly. He did _curious_. He did _cautious_. But he didn't do _scared_.

_Damnit_

Jack's resolve instantly began to crumble and nearly fell completely apart when Daniel wearily averted his troubled eyes. And in that heart wrenching moment, Jack realized there were two things he could do. He could, _One: Offer some awkward and useless encouraging words and pat him on the shoulder._ Or _Two: Pull him into a fierce hug and then pack up **all** his kids and catch the next flight outta there._

He decided to go with number Three. _Changing the subject, while telling his friend in two words that no matter what came their way, they'd deal with it. Together._

"I'm hungry."

And of course number three worked.

A small smile touched Daniel's lips and offered the General hope. "Me too."

Good ole' number three. "Wanna?"

"Mmm-hmm"

And so, just like any other day they headed out, side by side. They'd grab Teal'c on the way and hope Carter was finally available, then after picking up a movie and some grub, they'd all gather at…well, it would probably be Daniel's house now, and just relax the night away.

Teal'c would sit on the floor, completely engrossed in the movie. Carter would curl up with a blanket on the chair and Daniel would no doubt, fall asleep half way through the movie and end up stretching out on the couch until his legs rested on top of Jack's knees.

And Jack wouldn't have it any other way.

Silently walking down the corridor, Jack was reminded again of all battles that were fought, the victories that were celebrated and the friendships…the _family_ that was created within these walls. And though right now he didn't know yet how many more times he'd be walking these particular streets of wordless history, he realized, as he draped an arm across his friend's shoulders and squeezed, that it didn't matter.

Because he wasn't going anywhere just yet.

The end…for now.


	4. The Ties that Bind

**The Ties That Bind: Missing Scene**

"Hey, Daniel!" Jack greeted, looking up from his desk, as his friend strode in and closed the door behind him. "Sorry I couldn't be there today, I had…"

Daniel cut him off, tiredly waving his hand in the air, "Oh, trust me, you're lucky you weren't" he exclaimed, easing himself into a chair.

Jack quirked an eyebrow, then got sidetracked.

"Are you wearing _perfume_?"

The archaeologist moaned and bent over to hide his face in his hands.

"Trouble down home?"

Daniel shook his head in his hands. "You have nooooo idea" he whined, then suddenly stopped to look up and glare at his former C.O., "…or do you?"

"Oh, I _may_ know _something_" Jack teased, tapping his pen against the desk.

Daniel stared incredulously at him from between his fingers. "And you think it's..._funny_?" his voice took on a bit of a high pitched squeal.

Heart plummeting when he remembered what would happen to his friend if separated from that woman for long, Jack's face turned serious. "No."

Sitting back in his chair with a sigh, Daniel scrubbed at his face with an exhaustion that didn't go unnoticed by Jack. "How are you feeling?"

"Aside from the fact that I'm about to lose my mind? Great!"

Jack winced. "Where _is_ the good wife anyway?"

Daniel glared again before answering. "I made her wait downstairs."

"And that's not gonna...?" Jack waved his arm out in a circle towards his friend.

"No, since we're not actually _linked_ with the bracelets anymore, it seems we're given more of a leeway." Daniel looked heavenly and silently thanked God.

"Which...would explain why you were fine the other night."

"Right."

"But Gating to another world...?"

"Apparently _too_ far," Daniel sighed exasperated and added "but if you ask me, _not_ far enough."

Jack bit his lip and cleared his throat. "So have you found a way to separate you two yet?" he finally asked, surprised when his own voice squeaked.

Giving his friend a warning glance, Daniel then took a deep breath and stared off into space, biting his lip. "You...could say that." he breathed out and paused.

Jack quirked an eyebrow and was about to ask him to clarify when Daniel nervously looked at him and suddenly stood up. "Well, I'd better get going. Teal'c has to get back. Oh and he said, "Hi" by the way and that he'd see you Friday."

Jack's warning bells went off. _Uh-oh, leaving in a rush..._

"Uh, as will I!" Daniel continued awkwardly, holding up a finger. "See you Friday that is" he clarified quickly, walking towards the door.

_...AND avoiding eye contact. Yup. His friend was definitely hiding something from him._

"Daniel." Jack warned, but was given no reason to believe he was heard.

"Daniel!" Jack hollered standing up. "Hold it right there, Jackson!" He was pleased when his friend's hand stopped and hovered above the doorknob.

Sighing, Daniel dropped his arm, cursing Jack's spidey-sense and Jack's chest tightened. "How dangerous?" the general asked, fighting to keep his voice low and steady.

"Well," raising his eyebrows and cocking his head to the side as he considered, Daniel then turned to his friend. "Nooo more dangerous than negotiating with a pack of irate Unas." He blinked innocently.

"Daniel." Jack deadpanned. "I'm having a hard time finding that even remotely comforting."

Eyes softening, Daniel tried to ease his troubled friend's mind. "We've been in worse situations, Jack."

The older man looked down and scratched at an invisible something on his desk. "'We,'" he mused aloud. They had been through a lot together. Best friends had a habit of doing that, but this time he wouldn't be there. He tried getting an office in Colorado…you'd think being "The Man," you'd be able to get an office any damn where you pleased…but the only way he'd be able to go home and …well worry from a shorter distance, was to retire. And that was an option he hadn't completely thrown out the window just yet. Heck, he'd done it before. He's already had a long successful career…how much more successful can one get than saving the world a half a dozen times or so? Maybe it was time to go home, settle down and worry over his kids like any other respectable parent would for their former ascended being, alien and ex- 2IC.

Well, he never claimed they were the Waltons.

But nonetheless they were family.

"Daniel…"

"I'll be careful, Jack." The younger man nodded seriously, his eyes begging Jack to believe him. "Besides," he continued with a small reassuring smile. "Teal'c is going. I'll make sure he looks extra mean before we get there."

Jack's own smile never reached his lips. Teal'c was always the best at looking intimidating when it came to protecting certain members of the team...despite the fact that they could more than take care of themselves, but it wasn't enough. The National Guard and three Asgard ships wouldn't be enough…because _Jack_ was the one that should be there. Not that he could protect them any better…but because _that_ is where he was supposed to be.

"So…" Daniel eased, snapping Jack out of his thoughts as he turned the door knob. "Friday?"

Swallowing hard, Jack looked to his friend with saddened eyes. "Friday." he whispered hoarsely. And after a slight nod and a forced smile, Daniel was out the door and Jack was left staring after him. His friend wouldn't be just a couple of floors away. Jack wouldn't run into him in the hall. If he was hungry, he couldn't just barge into Daniel's office and yank him out by his collar to get something to eat…

Sighing, Jack washed a hand down his face and slowly sat down. He may get to see Daniel, Carter and Teal'c just about every weekend, but it just wasn't enough. Not when he was used to seeing them every single day. Not when he worked, played and fought beside them for nearly ten years.

Not when it was killing him to be so far away.

Sitting alone in his office, pinching his bottom lip between his fingers, Jack didn't even hear the phone ring… as he realized that some ties just weren't meant to be broken…

The end for now.


	5. Silent Lucidity

**The Powers that Be: Tag**

Pulling into the drive, Jack's stomach flip-flopped when he saw that there were no lights on in the house. It was Friday night. Daniel's car was parked right in front of his and he knew to be expecting Jack.

_Crap_

Unbuckling his seatbelt, Jack turned off the headlights and engine to his rental truck.

_Maybe Daniel forgot to pay his electric bill,_ he thought hopefully. _It wouldn't be the first time._

However, the worry building in his chest as he made his way up the sidewalk was convincing Jack otherwise. Something was wrong. He could feel it. He would have been notified if Daniel was injured…still it didn't mean his friend wasn't hurting for some reason or another.

Reaching the door, he went to knock, but before he could even do so it swung open with a long, eerie creak. Normally Jack would reach for his gun. Tonight, he reached for strength. Because the last time he came upon Daniel's home in this state, he found his friend standing on the wrong side of a balcony.

He _was_ informed that they were exposed to some sort of illness, but he was reassured that Daniel hadn't contracted it. Still what if they were wrong? Or what if Daniel _was_ somehow injured off world and the new doctor hadn't caught it? His friend had a penchant for hiding things. In fact, out of the entire medical staff on base, _Janet_ had been the only one able to tell if Daniel was doing just that.

_Janet…_

Swallowing the ache that still rose in his chest after losing such a good friend, Jack stepped inside the moonlit house.

"Daniel?" he called cautiously…hopefully.

A breeze brushed against him, begging for attention and Jack turned towards the direction it came.

The sliding glass door was open.

Rubbing a shaking hand down his face, he urged his legs forward…but they were slowed by the weight of his fear.

_It's just a patio out there._ he reminded himself over and over. _Just a patio_

Finally stepping back outside, Jack was grateful that it was at least warm out as he called hoarsely into the night. "Daniel?" But he received no reply and was about to go back inside and call for reinforcements when he heard a small, desolate, "Here" whispered from the left of him.

Looking down, Jack's brief surge of relief plummeted with his heart at the sight of his friend. "Daniel?" he eased softly, kneeling down beside him. Jack didn't like what he saw. Sitting with his knees pressed to his chest and arms wrapped tightly around them, Daniel stared blankly ahead, merely shaking his head when Jack called his name.

Jack's brow furrowed with an even deeper concern. "Daniel…are you hurt?" but the general was only granted another minuscule shake of the head. Not enough to convince him.

Eying his friend closely, the moonlight didn't reveal any blood, but Jack wasn't taking any chances. "Daniel…I'm going to take a look at you, okay?"

The archaeologist blinked. "I'm not hurt, Jack." He stated softly, but didn't resist his former C.O.'s prodding. In fact, Daniel just sat listless as Jack gently pulled his arms away from his knees to get a better look at him.

Jack was relieved to finally hear a whole sentence coming from his friend, but something was still wrong. Daniel wasn't usually the quiet type…nor was he the submissive type. He looked completely out of it…lost in thought as Jack went about his business…which Jack guessed, that, in itself, wasn't completely abnormal after all. Still…

After not finding any blood and _thankfully_, not eliciting any sounds of discomfort or pain from Daniel during his impromptu examination, the general sat down beside his friend and checked one last thing.

Daniel sighed in both frustration and embarrassment as the back of Jack's hand pressed against his forehead. "I'm not sick." he simply stated and Jack removed his hand satisfied.

Jack's worry was starting to make him sound annoyed. "Well, you're _something_, Daniel!" he shouted, instantly regretting that he did so and ducked his head. When he looked back up, his eyes were desperate with concern and when he spoke this time, it was but a whisper. "What happened, Daniel? Tell me what's _wrong_?" he pleaded. _Damnit, I'd know if I had been there!_

Jack watched as Daniel swallowed hard and began shaking his head as he fought to contain the overwhelming emotions that seemed to be seesawing between anger and hopelessness. "I just don't…" the archaeologist's voice caught and he shook his head again before he was overcome with anger and threw an empty pot that was sitting beside him. The moment the ceramic shattered across the patio, Daniel deflated with a sigh and hid his face in his hands.

Surprised by his actions, Jack tried not to show it. "What?" he asked gently.

Sitting back and resting his head against his house, Daniel looked to the moon as if it held the answers he needed. "I'm just not sure…" he paused again, but this time it wasn't in an attempt to swallow back his anger. This time…this time he was afraid to say it. He was afraid that if he admitted it, he would be condemning them all to the product of his fear. He was afraid that if he admitted, that he wasn't so sure they would be able to beat the Ori after all…that they were just too powerful, that it would come true. And that he wasn't _scared_, like he had told Jack. But that he was actually _terrified_.

"Just…" closing his eyes, Daniel forced the battle within him to simmer down. If he told Jack what he was thinking, Jack wouldn't let him mull over it any longer, anyway. And if he told Jack how much he wanted…_needed_ him out there with him…Daniel would just end up making him feel bad…and even _more_ helpless than he was sure he already felt.

"Just, sit with me?" he finally breathed, knowing Jack's company would be able to keep his demons at bay for at least now. Knowing Jack, without question, would be able to see how badly he just needed a friend's strong and quiet presence.

And Jack didn't let him down. Eyes narrowing with concern, he still responded immediately. "Sure." he answered softly, moving to settle down beside him so their shoulders touched.

And so they sat there in silence, watching from afar the worlds above them. One worried over the fate of them all…while one worried over just one. His own…the one sitting beside him.

**Part Two**

He knew he should get him inside. Carter and Teal'c would be arriving any minute, ready to start their night, only to find Daniel already out for it.

Still…Jack was having a hard time convincing his body to move. One reason may be because there was an unconscious one-hundred-and-eighty-pound archaeologist laying in his lap…another reason, may be because he just wasn't ready to let go of him yet.

After Daniel asked him to just sit with him, they silently watched the stars they took upon themselves to protect and let their worst fears replay over and over again in their heads. When his friend started to tremble, whether from the cooling of the night, or the weight of his burden, Jack wordlessly wrapped an arm around his shoulders and squeezed. He was only going to let it linger a second, but when the younger man un-expectantly leaned back into it with a strangle sigh, all thoughts of moving were thrown out the window. And Jack did what he had been doing since he was reassigned…he hung on with all he had and prayed what little he could offer now, would be enough.

It wasn't long before Daniel lost a battle he was too preoccupied to fight, and fell asleep, his body lolling towards Jack. And with Jack's mothering henning in full flap, it was merely seconds before Daniel was gently lowered into his older friend's lap, one of Jack's arms protectively draped over him to shield off anything that could threaten the rare moment of peace.

And Jack didn't want it to end.

Sitting there on the patio…as long as Daniel's dreams were merciful, there weren't any demons to slay. Sitting there on the patio with his best friend in his arms, Jack didn't have to worry where he was…if he was safe. He was spared the pain of the unknown…if only for a little while and he wanted it to last.

He _needed_ it to last.

Though Daniel couldn't bring himself to say the words, Jack could tell, when he looked in his eyes, what weight they would carry. They would be thick with despair and self-deprecation. They would drip with uncertainty and even anger. And they would leave Jack feeling even more inadequate than he already did.

He just needed a moment to pretend all was right in the world; that he wasn't consoling a battle-weary friend. He was the unfortunate location one intoxicated archaeologist passed out on after _one_ cup of Carter's infamous Eggnog.

And he didn't just fly across half the country to visit either, but merely drove a couple blocks.

Sighing, Jack leaned his head back against the house. _If only._

If only he wasn't the farthest away when his kids needed him most…

"Sir?"

Jack looked up into Carter's concerned eyes. The _soldier_ in him should have heard her coming, tuned for any signs of threat, but he guessed the _friend_ in him didn't need to. And of course, Daniel was completely oblivious…as usual. Though Jack knew that if they were on a mission…_on a mission_. Looking back down at his friend, a jolt of regret passed through Jack's body.

* * *

When Carter came upon her former C.O. cradling Daniel on the patio, her heart ceased in her chest. She had been out of reach all day and had _no_ idea what was going on or what had happened. So when he didn't answer her, but instead looked despondently down at their friend in his lap, her knees instantly lowered her. 

"Sir?" she asked again, her voice shaken with worry as she reached a tentative hand towards the archaeologist.

"He's…" Jack cleared the lump of inadequacy from his throat. "he's just sleeping. Had a rough day."

Sam's hand froze and she looked quizzically towards the general, but all he could do was shake his head. He didn't know what exactly happened either. Furrowing her brow and looking disappointed that he couldn't elaborate, Carter turned her attention back to her younger friend and gently smoothed a stray hair from his forehead, then she found herself checking him for fever, despite Jack's reassurances.

* * *

Jack smiled despite himself at the sight of Carter slipping into mother henn mode. At least _some_ things would never change. They would _always_ take care of each other no matter how distant their paths strayed. _This_ at least he could find some comfort in. 

…but was it enough?

Teal'c arrived not moments later, also unnoticed until he made himself heard, and finally filled in the missing pieces.

A pregnant silence blanketed the "team" except for a few anxious questions and suggestions interspersed here and there. Daniel, thankfully, still slept peacefully, though Jack and Sam were no longer strangers to the desolation he carried. And Teal'c's poorly hidden concern wasn't helping them quell their own any.

"We have beaten false gods before." Still the Jaffa valiantly tried to pull everyone onto the "Hope" wagon.

"Yeah" Jack whispered noncommittally as he looked down at his best friend, who still breathed deeply, undisturbed in his lap. They did managed to _finally_ bring the goa'uld down, not to mention the Replicators…but it wasn't without a price. In the nine years they fought, they had lost so much, so many lives. All unacceptable and irreplaceable. And some near impossible to live without.

And now after the cake was cut and champagne toasted…they learn that their hardest and greatest battle was just a warm up match to what was to come.

Jack closed his eyes and sighed the sigh of a weary man.

"We'll beat them, sir." Sam jumped on the wagon.

"I know, Carter." Jack rasped opening his eyes, but keeping his gaze low. "but right now, I'm more concerned about how many of _us_ they'll beat in the process." he finished, his eyes fixed worriedly on their slumbering friend.

Sam didn't say anything. She didn't need to.

-

-

-

-

The end…for now. (I know. I'm such a tease. Sorry. lol)


	6. But Now I'm Found

**Beachhead: Tag (Avalon Two spoilers)**

_Synopsis: Daniel deals with more than the after effects of the bracelet._

_-_

_-_

_-_

"Carter, have you seen Daniel?"

Sam abandoned the conversation she was having and looked worriedly at her former C.O. "No, sir…I haven't."

Jack sighed, putting his hands on his hips and turning a full 360 degrees to scan the park. Half of the base was invited to Siler's "Divorced and Fancy Free" party. And Jack was thrilled to get an invitation too. He loved picnics and it was a chance to be with his kids and see firsthand how the new blood on the block treated them. Yeah, so? He was irrational, overprotective and sometimes overbearing…what? You would be too if you were responsible for the biggest trouble magnets in the universe.

Speaking of trouble magnets…

"He probably just wanted to be alone, sir. He couldn't have gotten far." Sam tried to help.

"Yeah, well that's almost what I'm afraid of."

Sam nodded and absently handed off her drink as she joined in on the search. Daniel wasn't supposed to be left…unsupervised. It sounded condescending and harsh, but he was still suffering from the effects of the bracelet and would suddenly become overrun with exhaustion...sometimes too quickly to even find a safe place to land. That's where Jack was supposed to come in. He had put himself on Sandman patrol and refused to let Daniel anywhere out of his sight. Which brought Sam to wonder…

"I had to pee, okay." Jack announced already knowing what she was thinking.

Keeping the pace as they walked along, she nodded slowly, trying not to smile and he turned to her scowling. "ONE minute, Carter! I swear I was in there ONE minute!" he cried defensively, then faced forward, holding his hands out as he continued his worry-induced-rant, eyes scanning the park for any signs of his missing archaeologist. "I don't know how he does it!" he turned to look at her beseechingly. "Are we sure he's _still_ not an Ancient, cause he can sure as hell disappear as good as one!"

"I don't know, sir." Sam teased. "You may be on to something."

Jack glared. "_One_ minute." he reminded her, bringing up a finger as they came upon a group of people. "_**One**_…"

"General O'Neill."

Jack snapped his hand back to his side. "Colonel Mitchell."

Cameron smiled. "Good to see you here, sir. How's Washington treating you?"

"Ah…" Jack decided to take advantage of the highest point of the park they were standing on and scan the vicinity again. "it's…not." he drawled out distractedly. "Listen, have you seen Daniel?"

Mitchell furrowed his brow. "Jackson? No…maybe he's in the restroom."

Carter turned from where she was asking some other minglers and bit her lips. Jack met her eyes and glared again before returning to his inspection of the area and offhandedly answering him. "Nope…not there."

"Well, I'll keep an eye out for him, sir."

Jack nodded distractedly and decided to expand the search parameter. "Thanks."

He was really starting to get worried now. He'd already had Teal'c combing through the other side of the park for the last ten minutes and had yet to hear from him. What he wouldn't give for a couple of radios right now. What if Daniel collapsed into a stream…or while crossing the street? You'd think it would be unlikely, even farfetched…but this _was_ Daniel. Frequently-loses-his-glasses-and-forgets-his-shoes-but-can-find-trouble-like-nobody's-business Daniel.

Speaking of Vala…

Jack subconsciously clenched his fists.

She was OH-SO lucky those bracelets had worn off enough that she didn't take Daniel along with her! Of all the… Daniel actually _stays_ where he's supposed to and _still_ could have been sacrificed!

Sure, sure…it was a brave and selfless act that pretty much saved the galaxy from a full on Ori onslaught. Still, Daniel has done enough dying for mankind…or _any_ kind, for that matter.

Was Jack being selfish? Hell yes! It was his privilege, nay, it was his _duty_ when the safety of his family was involved.

…despite the fact that one-who-shall-remain nameless, ditched him like a kid sister.

"Carter! I'm heading east!" he hollered behind him, already walking towards the line of trees that bordered the park and praying that where ever his friend was, he was safe…so Jack could kick his ass.

* * *

_She cried out his name, begging him to help her…to **save** her, but all he could do was watch. Watch and beg and swallow the bile that continuously rose to the back of his throat as their captors held him helplessly in place._

"_You have to believe me! You're killing an innocent person!" he cried and pleaded, but they would not hear him, they would not stop. And the fires consumed her._

"_Noo! Nooo!"_

Daniel woke with a start. "Nooo!" Gasping, he fought to catch his breath as his world slowly came into focus and revealed tall, peacefully swaying grass and blue skies. Sighing, he lay back down and covered his face with his hands. He knew it was only a matter of time before _that_ came back to haunt him.

_Jes…_

He just didn't expect it to be _now_.

* * *

Jack's legs burned and his heart beat frantically against his chest, but he wasn't about to stop. When he heard Daniel cry out, his body instantly went into hyper-drive. He only wished he had a weapon on him. He couldn't protect Daniel off-world anymore…and now it looked as if he wouldn't be able to do so in his own backyard either.

_Damnitwhatdidhegethimselfintonow?_ Leave it to Daniel to find the _one_ mosquito that was carrying the West Nile virus in a place that would be considered safe to tread for everyone else.

_Jes…_

_One_ minute Jack had turned his back! One! He must be losing his edge. And there was only one thing he could do about that…get Daniel that leash he's been threatening him with for the last nine years.

_Gracefully_ stumbling into another field, Jack forced his pace to slow as he checked the area for any signs of a trap. Though in all honesty, he didn't care, cause he finally had Daniel in his sights.

Hunched down, hoping the tall grass gave him some cover, Jack slowly eased up to his unconscious friend. "Daniel?" he called quietly, anxiously checking him over for any signs of injuries. _Damnit!_ "Daniel?" he shook his shoulders when there was no response.

* * *

_He had to get away. He needed space to think, so he took off the second Jack…had his back turned. It was dirty, he knew it…but it was impossible to keep a line of thought with Jack asking him if he was okay every two and a half minutes…as much as he appreciated and depended on the support._

_He had underestimated Vala. And since she went all heroic on him…Daniel had been riding a rollercoaster of emotions. Anger, guilt…emptiness._

_The anger was at himself. Because while **she** was performing **the** ultimate sacrifice…part of him was thinking of his own ass. Because if Vala didn't make it, what would become of him? _

_He was selfish when she was anything but…and he hated himself for it._

_The guilt?_

_Vala was a good…person. And she deserved more credit than he ever gave her…probably…maybe. The truth was, she sacrificed herself...and in a way **his** life as well, but it was to save many more and that was…that was…well, pretty cool. _

_She deserved to be mourned. _

_And Daniel was going to make sure her actions would not be forgotten. And if she was somehow still alive out there…the next time he saw her he would be granting her just a wee bit more respect. Well, until, probably that is she opened her mouth._

_Still, as hard as she made his life…her obnoxious presence helped make a certain absence a little more bearable…if only **bearable**. She was like a loud, destructive toy that for a second took your mind off why you were so upset in the first place._

_Which brought him to the emptiness…_

_Which resulted from the pounding reminder that Jack would no longer be watching his back. He was the first person Daniel trusted, let past his personal barrier and accepted help from. Friendship from. He got used to always having him there. Sure, Jack mostly distracted and aggravated him to no end…but Daniel also could count on him in a unique, if not odd way that didn't extend to the rest of the family._

_He couldn't explain it. But Jack could find him when **Daniel** didn't even know he was lost. Jack knew him through and through and knew what it took to ground him, to bring him home, to get him centered. He guessed in a way…Jack was his compass._

_Sam and Teal'c were his best friends, they were his family. He trusted them with his life. But Jack…Jack he trusted with his soul. _

_Losing the battle to stay awake, Daniel's last thoughts were laced with self-pity that he blamed on embedded feelings of abandonment, because he found himself wondering how long it would be before his friend's new job completely consumed him and made him forget all about the people he left in the mountain…_

* * *

"Damnit, Daniel, wake up!" Jack hissed with worry. He hated being out in the open and completely clueless. Luckily his friend didn't _appear_ to be injured at least…which really didn't mean a whole lot of crap. He could have been beamed up somewhere, put through some high-tech torture and then beamed right back leaving no one the wiser, but for a lone cry.

_God, please don't let that be the case_. Jack prayed. Daniel _really_ didn't need anymore on his plate right now, or _ever_. He was finally starting to get some hope back in his eyes and Jack didn't think he could bear to find it missing again.

_Jes, please…_

"Daniel!"

Finally the archaeologist moaned and pried one eye open to peer myopically up at Jack.

"What?" he croaked. He never was in the best of character when being rudely awakened. No matter how happy he was to see who had found him.

_"What?"_ his old friend echoed incredulously. "What happened? Did someone attack you?" he gestured to Daniel's horizontal position, before doing another cautious sweep with his eyes of their surroundings.

Daniel furrowed his brow. What was the man talking about? "I fell _asleep_" he stated matter-of-factly.

Now Jack was the one crinkling his brow. "Okay…" that made sense. "but you screamed."

"I had a nightmare." Again, succinct.

Jack abandoned his readied position and blinked. "You had a nightmare."

"Uh…yeah. I got tired and figured I'd better lay down as quickly as I could…and then I woke up from. a. _nightmare_" he finished, slow and clear.

Jack blinked again. A _nightmare_. _Huh…_

Though relieved, his warning bells went off that Daniel actually admitted such a thing, because his friend didn't _admit_ to having nightmares. Sure he _admitted_ all the time that he was "fine" …but nightmares? Jack was going to have to have to do a little digging, but for now…

"Ow! What was that for?" Daniel cried, clutching the shoulder Jack just swatted.

"For scaring the hell out of me, that's what!"

Daniel looked affronted.

"It's one thing to do that wandering-off-bit you do." Jack exclaimed, waving a hand through the air. "but to _ditch_ a man when he's using the john…that's. just. wrong!"

Daniel closed his eyes and scrubbed at his forehead. "Sorry."

"No, you're not." Jack grinned…he couldn't help it. Daniel hadn't been abducted or tortured or run over by a semi that wasn't watching out for people taking naps in the street. It was a good day.

Daniel grinned back. "You're right, I'm not."

Accepting his confession with a nod, Jack quickly deflated and studied his friend closer...for something deeper. "You alright?"

Daniel sighed and dropped his hand onto his stomach. "Yeah."

"You sure?" Jack asked, narrowing his eyes worriedly.

Taking a deep breath, Daniel watched as a couple of birds veered off in opposite directions, only to suddenly turn again and nearly fly right into each other. They did this quite a few times actually, as if it was all part of their journey. "Yeah" he finally answered, looking to his friend. Jack wasn't going anywhere. His office may be on the other side of …town now, but his heart never left. And it never would. Cause Daniel, Teal'c and Sam each held a piece of it in the palm of their hands.

Jack nodded, satisfied with his answer _for now_ and raised his eyebrows hopefully.

"Hungry?"

Daniel smiled. "Yeah."

"Sweet!" Jack offered him a hand up. "But I'm warning you now; if you pass out in your baked beans…I'm not cleaning you up. And you know how Teal'c gets if he gets _anywhere_ near that stuff. Trust me _no one_ wants that. So you'd better get in Carter's good graces quick and apologize to her for ditching me and running off AEA."

Quirking an eyebrow, the archaeologist turned to his friend.

"Against _Everyone's_ Advice." the general quickly supplied.

Daniel winced. "Ouch, I bet that one took you all day." he teased with a glint in his eyes that Jack recognized as hope.

"You have no idea, Dannyboy." Jack smiled, companionably throwing an arm across the younger man's shoulders as he gently guided him back to where they belonged…

"You have no idea."

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The end…for now.


	7. Right as Rain

**"_Ex Deus Machina" Tag and Missing Scenes_**

_Synopsis: Just short, sweet (hopefully) and silly missing scenes and tag. That's all I can promise with this one. lol_

_Thank you, everybody SO much for the reviews! They're better than cookies!_

_Disclaimer: __Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Sci Fi Channel, Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. No copyright infringement whatsoever is intended. The story is for entertainment purposes only. The original characters, situations and story are mine. Please check with me first if you want to archive or link to this story._

* * *

Daniel was lost in thought, listening as the broken glass crunched under his feet when he was suddenly pulled into another room. 

"Tell me. _Tell_ me it's not true" his captor demanded.

Daniel stretched his neck, trying to ease the grip on his shoulders. "I'm sorry…but it is." he answered seriously. "The new release for your Xbox has been delayed."

Jack glared and let his friend go. "Of all the…" he started angrily, then raised his fist as if wanting to strike something. "He's on _my_ planet!" he pointed aggressively at himself. "He's breathing _my_ air! He's eating _my_ deep-fried donuts and he's drinking _my_ homogenized milk! The nerve of that whining, weaseling, arrogant little…!"

Daniel didn't say anything, just raised an eyebrow, amused.

Jack stopped his rant to take a deep breath and put his hands on his hips. "Baal?" he asked, his disgust causing his voice to pitch high.

"Afraid so."

Jack raised his eyebrow and peered hopefully at Daniel. "Too late to bring Seth back?"

"Uh…yeah."

"Damn." Jack dropped his head and scrubbed at it before straightening up and snapping, "He's doing this to me on purpose! You know that, don't you!"

Daniel merely raised his eyebrows again and Jack deflated, biting his upper lip. "All because I dared mock him…"

* * *

"Yes, Jack." Daniel rolled his eyes and adjusted the phone against his shoulder. 

Sam smiled knowingly. She had just been put through the same drill.

"Yes, Jack…no Jack" Daniel sighed and switched ears as he answered each scenario monotone. "Run, Jack."

It wasn't that Jack didn't trust them. He did…whole heartedly actually…he just…didn't have anything better to do apparently.

So they humored the old man.

"Kiss my ass goodbye, Jack."

Well, most of the time.

Sam bit her lips as "Daniel!" was bellowed out from the receiving end of the phone.

Daniel huffed. "Jack, I promise that if we find the bomb and can't diffuse it, I won't go all 'glowy'," he quoted the air. "and 'swallow' it to save mankind and all it's benevolent creatures" he finished giving Sam a long suffering sigh.

Finally at his last straw, Daniel rolled his eyes and shoved the phone at her. Sam shook her head and pushed it back towards him. "Daniel! No!" she warned with a low hiss.

"He wants to talk to _you_" He batted his eyes innocently.

Sam closed her own eyes and begged for strength. Finally she took the phone but not before launching a well placed glare. "Yes, sir?" her tone instantly flat and professional. "Right, sir," she nodded placidly, pinching the bridge of her nose. "no 'Glowy' for Daniel. Understood."

'Glowy?' Daniel mouthed incredulously as Sam finally hung up.

"Uh, yeah," Carter merely winced apologetically before handing him back the phone as she squeezed passed him to get to the van's backdoor. "Oh," holding the door open and biting the corner of her bottom lip, she looked back at Daniel, "He also said that he has Tinker Bell and if you even _think_ about pulling a stupid stunt that will leave you minus one body…the fairy gets it." she added with a look of mock terror.

Hands in his pockets, Daniel shook the image of his former C.O. taunting a trapped Tinker Bell in a bird cage, out of his head.

"Well…" finally moving to follow her out of the vehicle, the archaeologist confided out of the corner of his mouth, "I was more into Snow White any…ouch!" he cried as Sam wordlessly whacked him across the arm. Daniel conceded. "Right, no 'glowy.'"

* * *

"Ah!" Daniel jumped and clutched his shoulder. "Ooouch" he finally drawled out, stunned as he stared up at the culprit. 

Jack just waggle his eyebrows and smiled.

Dumbfounded, Daniel stuttered as his former C.O. plopped down beside him. "What..why…What is it, "National Flog Your Archaeologist" week?" he squawked, rubbing the sting out of his flesh.

"Nope." Jack answered casually, tilting a freshly opened bag of popcorn towards his friend. Daniel just blinked at the offering, so Jack continued. "I was just checking."

"For what! To make sure my bruising capabilities were still up to par!"

Jack popped a kernel in his mouth with one hand and grabbed the TV remote with the other. "Yup."

Mouth dropping open, hand falling into his lap, the linguist was still searching for words when the sound of the front door opening announced the arrival of the rest of the gang.

"Finally!" Jack jumped up, slapping the bag of popcorn against Daniel's chest as he went to greet without so much as a second glance towards the younger man. "Pizza!"

Reflexively catching the bag with his arm and bracing it against his chest, Daniel inadvertently forced half its content to shoot up and shower him.

…if an archaeologist sighs in an empty living room, does he really make any sound at all?

* * *

"Hey! What took you guys so long?" Jack asked, relieving Teal'c of the beer and taking a long, savoring whiff of the pizza. 

"Sorry, sir."

"It is my fault, O'Neill." Teal'c interrupted. "We are late because Colonel Carter was waiting on myself."

Jack tilted his head back knowingly. He had a pretty good idea what Carter was waiting on their Jaffa friend to finish up. "Ah…well, no harm, no foul. Though I warn you—don't get to close to the archaeologist tonight. He may bite."

"I heard that!" came an annoyed cry from the other room.

"See what I mean." Jack whispered conspiratorially.

Walking back into the living room after putting the beer away…in _Daniel's_ fridge…_why isn't **he **doing this_, Jack found a _giggling_ Carter sitting on the couch, tossing a piece of popcorn in her mouth that she had salvaged from the shoulder of her glaring surrogate brother.

Teal'c sat on the floor, leaning against the couch and would every so often tilt his head back so Carter could toss in another recovered kernel. Though he didn't giggle…he did appear to have an amused look on his face, which brought a smile to Jack's.

Everything Teal'c had sacrificed, fought and bled for had turned its' back on him. _He_ was the reason the Jaffa were free. He lived and breathed for their freedom for nearly a decade…yet their loyalties failed to grace him.

_Well, ain't that just the kicker,_ Jack thought, trying not to let his anger on the matter ruin their night. Still, as rare, full fledged laughter resonated from all three of his kids, Jack knew the discarded hero would be okay…

"Alright!" Jack announced bounding into the room and jumping on the couch to the right of his youngest friend. "Movie time!"

As everyone got comfortable and Jack pushed 'play', Daniel plucked a piece of popcorn out of his hair and studied it before popping it into his mouth and asking, "What'd you get?"

Leaning over to grab the pizza off the coffee table to set it in his lap, Jack excitedly rubbed his hands together. "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy"

It wasn't until he was lining a piece of pizza up with his tonsils that he noticed the resounding sound of crickets. Closing his mouth, he turned to the three faces that stared blankly at him. "What?" he cried defensively, "I wanna see how accurate it is!"

Three pairs of eyebrows rose as they seemed to contemplate his reasoning, then two shrugged and one scarcely nodded as they wordlessly turned their attention back towards the screen.

Satisfied, Jack smirked and sent the pizza home.

_Yup, right as rain…_

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The end…for now. I know…not the norm. I wanted some lightheartedness. Now let's return to our regularly scheduled angsting.


	8. Coniferous Trees and Brooding Archs

"**Coniferous Trees and Brooding Archaeologists Always Get Me Down"**

**Babylon tag**

* * *

Hanging up the phone, Jack sighed and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk.

"Damnit" he hissed into his hands as he scrubbed them down his face. Something was wrong. He _knew_ it. Something was bothering his archaeologist, but he didn't know what. And yes, he was still _his_ archaeologist.

They had gotten Mitchell back alive, if not somewhat frayed. And they had the prospects of gaining a new ally. Things should be looking up...shouldn't they? So what could it be? He guessed with Daniel, it could be anything.

Jack had asked him if he was okay, but his friend claimed that he was just busy and ascribed to that excuse by bringing the conversation to an abrupt end, telling Jack that he'd call him later.

_Yup, Daniel Jackson evasive maneuver number three._ Still, Jack knew better. His YAB-AR (Your Archaeologist is Brooding-Again Radar) was in full swing.

Now, normally when this would happen, Jack would just storm up to said archaeologist's office and annoy it out of him. But he no longer had that luxury. Rapping his knuckles anxiously against the desk, Jack decided that it was time to initiate "Operation Tattle-Tale." He may not be able to find out straight from the horses mouth, _but_ he still had Carter and Teal'c.

Grinning, Jack picked up the phone.

* * *

Frowning, Jack hung up the phone.

"Tarter sauce," he cursed, defeated, resting his chin in his hand. Both Carter and Teal'c also noticed that their friend was "off" but they too had been given the "busy and distracted" speech.

_What now?_

Glaring at the stack of paperwork that threatened to buckle the legs of his desk, Jack took a pen and using it...pushed the mountainous pile away from him as if carried the bubonic plague; his eyebrows shooting up when the utensil bent and retaliated against the force by catapulting itself out of the situation and across the office...to hit the poorly timed entrance of Jack's assistant right in the forehead.

"Edmund!" Jack greeted, grabbing another pen and sitting back in his chair, pretending he hadn't noticed. "What brings you to these parts?"

Lance Corporal Edmund Johnson blinked hard and scrunched up his forehead, trying to work out the sting. "Uh, sir, I work in these parts."

Jack's face fell. Poor kid still had no idea who he was working for. "Ah, no, corporal, that...I was just..." Shaking his head, Jack's hand came up to cut himself off. "You know what, never mind. What can I do for you? Bring some more paperwork for me, did ya?" he quipped with mocked enthusiasm, playing with the pen in his hands as he sat further back in his chair and brought his feet up to rest on his desk.

"Uh, yes, sir." Johnson replied, bringing the stack that he had been casually holding behind his back to the front.

Jack's face fell again.

* * *

Three hours and one file later, Jack sat staring at the phone. It's funny. He did that a lot nowadays. He didn't like to consider himself a worry-wart...he was a _general_ in the U.S. air force, for cryin' out loud! But the truth was...that he _was_. In fact, he was the granny of all worry-warts…especially when it came to his kids.

...especially when it came to a certain archaeologist.

It wasn't until Daniel came along that Jack realized he had heartstrings. Because it became abundantly clear, rather fast, that these were what his friend enthusiastically swung from…all. the. time.

Jack didn't know what it was about the man that brought out his most primitive need to protect. It was in his heart and blood to do everything in his power...and _more_ to protect his team…but when it came to Daniel…it was in his soul.

Maybe it had something to do with Daniel's childlike curiosity and the way he'd get so easily distracted…course, he could _almost_ say the same about Carter. Though Carter _did_ have faster reflexes than the archaeologist. Still, Daniel was just as good now at defending himself in the field as any experienced soldier and he'd probably saved more people's lives than the entire SGC personnel combined.

So what? What was it ? Why did he _still_ feel like he had to protect the younger man so much?

After thinking hard on it for a few more minutes and not coming up with any specific answers...none that he'd admit to anyway, Jack decided, "Screw it." He just did. Plain and simple, he would always feel the need to protect his younger friend and that's that...even if only for the sake of his own waning sanity.

Nodding his satisfaction, Jack's thoughts came back to the present where he realized...life was sucking.

He was on the wrong side of the country, in an office where the paperwork could literally double as furniture and he currently had no means to find out what was bothering his friend. Sure, Daniel was a big boy, he could handle his own problem. He could also come to Jack if, or whenever he wanted. ...but remember that 'over-protective' thing we were just talking about? Right. So back to staring at the phone. And doing just that, Jack wondered how he ended up getting wrapped around Daniel's little finger. _It was probably bleeding,_ he thought idly and jumped when his phone finally rang.

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The end...for now.

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_ducks out of the way of flying rotten food_. Oh, come on! We'll find out what was bothering our boy. LOL eg Actually, just click over into the next chapter. bg Thanks for reading!


	9. Just Hold On

"Just Hold On"

Prototype tag

Thank you, guys SO much for the reviews! I REALLY appreciate them! Sorry it took so long to get this out! Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Jack paused and rested his head on the railing before going up. Even though he had a feeling he'd find him here…he was still surprised. Luckily, no one was home.

_God_, Jack sighed.

When Teal'c contacted him and told him what had happened with the fruit of Anubis'… looms, needless to say, Jack was more than relieved to already be en route. There was no way he could wait for Daniel to come to him this time. There was no way Jack could let his younger friend brood over this one on his own.

Tilting his head back and looking up with an aged worry in his eyes, Jack decided that it was now or never. It was time to pray for the answers his best friend would no doubt be asking him for.

"Hey," he greeted softly, stepping onto the roof of his old house. It was…surreal. So many times…_so_ many, the four of them had come up here to reconnect or silently seek strength from one another after a bad mission. Jack had almost forgotten just how much he depended on those nights to rein in his sanity.

Apparently Daniel had not.

"Hey," his old friend finally whispered back hoarsely, never taking his eyes off the sky…never even acting surprised that Jack was there.

Sitting down beside him, Jack looked up to the stars they've touched, ignoring Carter's little voice in his head that said that most of the stars they've been too weren't even visible from Earth. What'd she know, anyway?

Some of the greatest battles of their lives were fought out there. Friends…loved ones were lost out there. …and sometimes even hope. Gate travel had such a major impact on their lives…bad _and_ good. Still, their plights and triumphs from the outside observer remained but a twinkle in the sky…unchanged by the events that took place on their surface.

_Surface_. Sometimes Jack wished _some_ things could just stay on the surface, never to work their way into certain archaeologists' hearts.

When Daniel finally _did_ call him last week to tell him what had been bothering him, Jack hadn't known how to comfort his friend. Words failed him because Jack himself had been struggling with the same thing.

Change.

And not the everyday 'circle of life' change either…_foundations_ were changing. And neither knew how to keep the other from falling.

_"They were going to leave him behind." _were the burdened words that greeted Jack that afternoon. Days had passed and Daniel still could not wrap his mind around it.

_"We don't leave people behind, Jack! That's their **own** policy!"_

_"I know, Daniel. I know."_

The problem was that even though Landry _knew_ it too, he wouldn't risk everything he had to _live_ it. Not like Hammond had. Not like Jack had. And that was the difference. That was the _change_ Daniel was dealing with then…and now there was this.

A warm breeze danced through their silent reveries. Mother Nature's subtle way to get the ball started. And Jack caught it.

"You did what you had to do" the general finally spoke, looking down and scratching at an invisible something on his jeans, but a long, pregnant silence was his only reply.

_Come on, buddy. Don't shut me out._

_Please._

"We've all changed a lot throughout the years, haven't we?" the archaeologist finally whispered, low and mournful.

"Well," Jack drawled. "If you're talking about our hair...then that would be a 'yes.'"

Again Daniel didn't respond, just continued staring off into the night.

Jack frowned "Maybe," he conceded. "But not in the way you think. Not for the worse."

"I'm not so sure about that. I'm not so sure about myself." Daniel's voice was strained and on the verge of breaking.

"I am." Jack didn't miss a beat, but his friend just shook his head and bit his lower lip, still refusing to look at him.

"Daniel..." Jack continued, leaning toward the younger man. "When I heard that you recommended pretty much just destroying that...thing, I wasn't _as much_ concerned that you suggested it in the first place, as I was that you were actually _alright_ with the idea. But even then I knew you _wouldn't_ be. Because you haven't changed, Daniel. _Not_ that way at least. You may be able to fight better...but your first choice is always _not_ to. You knew, _knew_, Daniel. You knew for a fact what would happen because of what you've seen, what you've experienced and _knowing_ there was no other choice you did the only thing you _could_, not _wanted_ to do. You wouldn't have taken him out if you had another choice, Daniel. He couldn't be let loose."

"'One of us will feel the pleasure…'" Daniel spoke out of nowhere.

Jack raised his eyebrows and cocked his head to the side. "I'm sorry?"

"'Nothing do I anticipate more than the sweetness I know I will feel when I kill for the first time.'" Daniel repeated the chilling words.

If possible, Jack's eyebrows rose even further. "Uh…"

"That's what Khalek said to me." The archaeologist _finally_ clarified.

Jack let out breath he hadn't even known he was holding. For a second he thought Daniel had cashed in all his screws.

"He told me that before it was over, one of us would feel the pleasure of killing." he paled as he continued.

Jack grimaced and then closed his eyes before looking down at his hands in his lap. "Daniel…"

"And I did." The younger man's voice was so flat, so desolate; it sent chills down Jack's spine.

_Awe, damnit_

"Daniel, don't do this to yourself." Jack pleaded, looking back up and wishing his friend would just meet his eyes. "He wasn't a _man_! He was a _monster_, Daniel. A monster that was CREATED in a lab."

"It wouldn't have made a difference. Not before," Daniel shook his head. "I would have looked harder before. I would have told him he had a choice. He didn't have to be like his...his…father."

"It would have been for nothing and you _know_ it. He was _programmed_ to hate, Daniel!" Jack narrowed his eyes. "What are you more upset about, anyway? That you could come to such a conclusion about a 'person' so easily? Or that you. were _right_?"

Daniel finally did look at him this time. And Jack wasn't surprised to see that his eyes were burning with self- recrimination, even as they begged for absolution.

"Daniel," he softened his tone. "I know how important it is for you to believe that everyone, every _thing_ has an innate good in them. But just because you couldn't find it, doesn't mean you changed. It just means there wasn't any good to _find_."

Daniel was shaking his head again, "But I did, Jack. I did change" and his eyes had returned to the night so he couldn't see the frustration on his friend's face. And Jack had to clench his jaw so he wouldn't ask him 'how'. He didn't want to feed the younger man's despair. But after a few silent moments passed, Daniel answered anyway.

"It's the first thing I see now." He spoke slowly, his words weighed down with profound sorrow.

Jack furrowed his brow and asked in a gentle whisper, "What?" He couldn't help it.

"Evil."

In that moment the entire night sky felt like it had fallen on Jack, its beautiful stars piercing his flesh and stealing his breath. The weight of them had succeeded in changing his friend after all. And he didn't want to believe it. ...and at the same time, he did. Believing that Daniel would remain untainted by the cruelty and pain the universe stuffed down his throat, was naive on Jack's part...but it had also been the only hope he had held for mankind. Daniel was what he looked to when the rest of the world failed him. Still, knowing that his archaeologist was exercising a little more self preservation made it easier for Jack to be so far away.

He was torn. And as he sat there, with an even deeper ache, Jack realized that there was nothing he could say that would ease his friend's self inflicted pain. Not tonight. Words would hold no solace, not even touch could shoulder some of the burden of survival Daniel was carrying. There was nothing Jack could do. And though their own, that which their friendship had been built upon, remained sound. Other key and critical foundations were shifting and crumbling and they were left grasping for purpose and understanding…and in some cases, forgiveness.

There was nothing left to do tonight but hold on. Jack hated not being able to take action. To protect, to heal, to comfort. But even as uselessness pounded away through his veins, he reached up and silently grasped his friend's shoulder.

They would make it as long as they held on. They had to. That was all there was left to do.

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The end...for now. Wow! Only one more to go and I'll be caught up for this half of the season!


	10. It's What They Did

**Title: **It Was What They Did…

**Author: **Dragonfly

**Spoilers: **Yes. The Fourth Horseman: Part One

**Genre: **Gen, missing scene

**Series: Yes, **"Denial: 101"

**Summary: **Oh those nasty Ori and their plague…

**A/N:** Sorry it's been so long. I actually do have a couple others completed, but I want to post in order on here. Others can be found on my site. Thanks!

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**Thump**

"96"

Anticipation and excitement exploded within Jack.

**Thump**

"97"

He would be breaking his all time record.

**Thump**

"98"

He's never made it to 100 before.

**Thump**

"99"

"Sir?" Lance Corporal Edmund Johnson stormed through the door and caught Jack's ball inches before it bounced off his face.

Jack frowned. _So much for a new world record._ "I thought I told you I was in a _very_ important meeting and NOT to disturb me." Jack reprimanded, though he _was_ marginally impressed with his assistant's ever improving reflexes. …of course he wouldn't survive walking into Jack's office without them.

Yup, _everything_ Jack did was to better the next generation. Even boredom induced…exercises.

"Uh…you did, sir," Edmund admitted, awkwardly tossing back the ball--which Jack caught with a smile. He was definitely breaking the kid in. "But _I_ have your itinerary."

"Aaahh." Jack tilted his head back. _Busted_

"_And_ you're needed ASAP in an emergency meeting with the Joint Chiefs, sir."

"Ah." This time Jack responded with less enthusiasm and stood. "Emergency, eh?" he queried without an inkling of real interest, leisurely looking for his hat under piles of paperwork.

Johnson handed it to him. "Yes, sir."

"Well," Jack put it on. "Can't keep the JC's waiting, now can we?"

"No, sir."

Jack took the briefcase his assistant handed him. "After all, that's what I'm paid the big bucks for."

"Yes, sir" Johnson held the door open for him.

"Yessirreee, attending every so called 'emergency' meeting they have just so I can show my pretty little face"

"Yes, sir" Edmund responded automatically just as Jack walked passed him.

Brigadier General Jack O'Neill paused in the doorway.

The younger man floundered. "I- I mean _no_, sir!"

Jack slowly, with an ominous look in his eyes, held out his hand. After a second Edmund reluctantly brought up his own.

"Keep it secret. Keep it safe." The older man whispered conspiratorially, dropping his ball into the sweating corporal's palm and walking away without another word.

Jaw slack, Johnson stared after him. His boss was a "Lord of the Rings" fan too. Edmund shook his head in awe. Wait until he told his girlfriend this one. She still didn't believe him when he told her how often the old veteran quoted "The Simpsons" and "The Wizard of Oz."

-----

He couldn't breathe. Jack couldn't breath, but he _had_ to know. So he forced the acrid words out through his dry mouth. "Do," he had to clear his throat and try again. "Do we know the names of those who have been infected?" He hoped his voice came out smooth and detached…but at the same time, he didn't give a damn if it did or didn't. This was his family. This was his life he was asking about.

-----

After countless hours and a blur of endless meetings, Jack walked into his office, closed the door behind him, threw his briefcase and hat on the floor, sat down in his chair and hid his face in his hands.

"Jesus," he exhaled, then quickly made a grab for the phone—only to freeze when Edmund's voice came over the comm informing him that he already had Doctor Jackson waiting on the line for him.

Jack could kiss the man. He hit the button instead. "Daniel?"

"Hi! Yeah, Jack! I really can't talk." He greeted distractedly.

God it sounded so good just to hear his friend's voice. The last he had heard, none of his kids had been infected…yet, but this was the first he had had the chance to get living, breathing proof. And he didn't want to let go of it just yet. "Yeah, so, uh, hey…what's up?" He found himself asking, trying and failing to sound nonchalant as he stiffly sat back in his chair.

There was a pause. Then, "Well, actually I just ordered this new Archaeological magazine online. I'm kinda excited about it."

The smile never reached Jack's eyes. "You're not planning on doing anything stupid, are you, Daniel?

"Well, if I'm not completely satisfied they'll give me my money back, Jack" Daniel responded sagely.

"Anything that can get yourself killed or de-corporealized?" The older man reiterated gratingly.

"No."

Was it Jack, or did that actually sound like he regretted the fact? "Daniel!" he chided with what could technically be considered a squeak…_if_ he wasn't a General in the United States Air Force. Because generals didn't squeak. They shot things that squeaked. Or…whatever.

"_No_, as in 'wehaveabsolutelynogoodplanwhatsoeverandwereallgoingtodie-No" The archaeologist replied tersely.

Jack frowned. "Oh" A pause. "Have you tried water?"

"Jack?"

"Water" Jack said again as if that explained it all. "It worked on that movie."

Daniel sighed and Jack could practically see him pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head. "I have to go."

"Or, or, or how 'bout uploading a virus into their Mother Ships!"

"Bye, Jack"

"Do they _have_ Mother Ships?"

"I'm hanging up now"

"Or, hey! You can give them a cold! Sneeze on 'em, Daniel!"

**click**

The sudden silence reverberated through Jack like thunder. Wit instantly rushing out of him, he slowly lowered the phone and placed it back on the hook.

They would beat this.

Raking his fingers roughly through his hair, the formal SG-1 leader leaned over and laid his head in his hands.

They had to.

It was what they did.

Jack sighed.

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The end…for now. (Sorry so short)

5


End file.
